A Prince to Save a Prince
by Jaretha
Summary: Rewrite of "To Love a Prince" When life is dark, to whom can a Prince run?


She found herself standing in the middle of a large dormitory room, a single, by the looks of it. A boy's clothes were strewn around in a haphazard fashion, as if the person who owned the room had gotten dressed in a hurry for the last few days.  
  
Everything in her entire body hurt. She could hardly even tell if this were really her body, or if she were dead. Not that it really mattered, after all. She had won her victory against the evil she had faced, and she was sure that the quest had claimed her life. But here she was, standing in a boy's dormitory room, feeling as if her world were meaningless.  
  
Dazed, bewildered, and in a serious amount of pain, she drifted towards a bureau that stood against the east wall of the room. There was something glittering there, casting a small rainbow onto the wall behind the bureau. She walked towards it, almost as if floating on the air instead of walking. The pain was so great now that she no longer felt it. The whole world was in a haze of pain, but this shining thing was outside the dark world of pain. It was clean somehow, clearer and easier to see. She reached for it, picking it up, and bringing it closer to her face.  
  
This thing made her feel peaceful, made the world of pain seem less real. She gazed down at the crystal rectangle, and at the two smiling people that stood in the middle of the crystal. Two people... one smiling, with pink hair and a pink boy's school uniform, and a boy with dark hair. She stood, staring at the two people, hardly even able to breathe.  
  
'I know these people' her fuzzy mind mused. 'I know this girl... she is strong and good. And I know this boy... he will protect me. Protect me from the Prince.' She brought the boy's face closer to hers and laid her lips against his.  
  
He knew she would be there even before he opened the door. It was his curse... and his gift. The small, unobtrusive link between the two of them allowed him to share everything she had experienced over the last year, even the smallest feelings of her tortured heart. He had wanted to rush to her so many times, this dear, foolish friend of his, but every time he held himself back, content to watch from afar as she grew up more than he possibly ever could.  
  
"Hey, come on, man, let's go!" Hiroshi yelled from down the hallway. "We're gonna miss the movie!"  
  
He stared at the doorknob to his dorm room, almost wishing it would disappear. He didn't want to see her broken, beaten, and defeated. He wanted his vibrant, energetic friend to be standing on the other side of the door. But knew his laughing friend had flown just beyond his reach, and would remain so for a very long time. But he would always follow her, hand outstretched to reach for her, until she decided to leave the world.  
  
"Go ahead without me, Hiroshi," he said, waving his friend away with a small smile. "I just remembered that I had some homework to do."  
  
Before his friend could reply, his hand was on the doorknob. He turned it quickly and pushed the door open, not looking at the room. He closed the door firmly, and stood facing it, almost panting in his fear and desire to turn around. He agonized for a few minutes, and then turned, slowly, almost as if against his will.  
  
A girl stood in front of his bureau, holding a pictures frame with colorful crystal imbedded in the frame. He knew that picture very well, because it was a picture of himself and his best friend. He had often held it against his lips, just as the girl was now doing in front of him. She was tall and thin, with long hair that trailed to the small of her back. She wore only a pink shift that draped loosely around her lithe body. The hem fell to her knees, where he could see small rivulets of blood pouring down her legs.  
  
Only then did he realize that the shift was supposed to be white, but the blood had tinged it pink. She was bleeding from a thousand small cuts, all over her body, and he could hardly believe she was still standing. She looked up at him, her blue eyes wide with pain and fear at being discovered.  
  
He watched the fear melt from those eyes, those eyes he knew so well. "Utena," he whispered hoarsely, his voice breaking the strange silent spell of the room.  
  
Utena swayed on her feet, and would have collapsed had his strong arms not caught her and born her gently onto the carpeted floor. She looked up at him and smiled, reaching up to stroke his face. She did not seem to see the blood stain she left on his cheek, or the river of tears that paved its way through the foundation of blood.  
  
"I knew you'd protect me," she whispered. "Kaido..."  
  
**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**  
  
~~Yes, I know it's short. But it can't be helped. The next chapter will be typed and printed up as soon as possible, probably within five days.  
  
~~This story is re-written from my previously unfinished story, "To Love a Prince". After re-reading that story, I have concluded that it is certain death to a fanfic to try to merge anime storylines with manga storylines. I hope you all approve of this new story, and hopefully it will make more sense than the last one I wrote. 


End file.
